By Ed Avis
Two weeks ago NCA sponsored a webinar about creating an ADA-compliant website. The reason for the webinar was two-fold: First, to help members create sites that can be accessed by all potential customers, even if they have a disability; and second, to help members avoid lawsuits regarding this issue. There are law firms that have learned they can easily profit from companies with sites that are not 100 percent compliant, and that can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
The webinar was presented by Brandon Lilly, a tech consultant and owner of Life of the Party in Ft. Collins, Colorado. Lilly himself was sued for ADA compliance issues on his website, so he has first-hand knowledge of this problem.
The webinar was packed with information. Here are a few key points, but to get the full story, click here to watch the webinar.
What Accessibility Means
Lilly explained that “accessibility” means a site is usable by someone who has a vision impairment, a cognitive processing issue, or a physical impairment that prevents them from using a traditional mouse or keyboard. The ADA requires that those people still have the same access to your website or services in your products as anybody else -- that they can navigate it, they can utilize it, and they can make purchases from you.
“There are different studies that show that not only does that increase your sales among the marginalized communities, but it also increases sales goodwill and brand awareness amongst the general community,” Lilly said. “So not only is this good just because you should and you're legally required to, but it can also increase sales and customer satisfaction across the board, not just with disabled communities.”
Four Principles
The rules require that your website be perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.
“Perceivable” means that all text and all images can be accurately read by a screen reader. A screen reader looks at the website from top to bottom and describes it to the user. So if images, for example, are properly identified, the screen reader can “say” what the image is.
Websites also have to be “operable,” which means the user must be able to navigate the website with whatever peripheral – mouse, keyboard, etc. – works for them, and without requiring specific timings. An example of a “timing” problem is sliders (photos that move like a slideshow across your site). Sliders are a problem because the screen reader tells the user an image is there, and suddenly it moves off the screen. So if the user wanted to interact with the image, they are unable to do so.
“Understandable” means the site uses clear language, has predictable navigation, and offers an easy way for the user to get help if they need it, such as a contact page with a phone number instead of just a form.
Finally, “robust” means a site works well with current and future technology, is compatible with assistive technologies, and adapts to the needs of all users.
Testing is Important
Lilly explained that you need to test regularly to ensure that your site remains compliant.
“Testing is critical to ensure compliance because you might upload something else, you might add new product, you might be running a sale, you might add new employee bios or something to your website, new services, things like that,” he said.
There are tools that help with testing, such as AccessiBe and UserWay.
When you test regularly, and make improvements based on the tests and post your testing schedule, you’ll have some defense against lawsuits because you can show that are already addressing the ADA situation.
“One thing that I've seen businesses start doing is they are publishing their own results,” Lilly said. “So you set up what's called an accessibility statement on your website, which basically says, we're actively working towards this. Here's the steps we've taken. If you have a problem, you can contact us and here's our history of testing. Hopefully [this discourages lawyers] because it's not really worth the effort for them at that point.”
Don’t Rely on Widgets
While the tools like AccessiBe and UserWay are great for testing your site, don’t rely on the widgets that some companies offer that act as overlays to your website to help with accessibility. That’s because these overlays do not correct the underlying problems, and in fact can attract suit-happy lawyers.
“There's a lot of data that shows that by installing these widgets on your website, it's a dog whistle for people to come and sue you,” Lilly said. “The risk of you getting sued skyrockets because one, they do not solve the problem. And two, it shows to these lawyers and folks who know they can get away with it that you tried and you've already failed. So they are going to win no matter what.”
You Can Solve the Problem
Lilly explained that the common ADA problems with websites can be fixed, but they require a lot of manual work and knowledge about what needs to be fixed in the first place. A solution is to hire a firm to do that work for you. In the Q&A part of the webinar, Lilly explained that there are some boutique web design firms that focus on this kind of work, and they probably do the work very well.
Another option is to use one of the testing apps, such as UserWay, and then contract with the company to also fix the problems.
“They have a monthly plan where the widget sits on your website,” he explained. “It gives them that interface, it identifies problems, reports the problems back to their team, and their team works to fix it. So then the problem is actually being fixed on the backend in real time. That's excellent. It's also pretty expensive, if I remember correctly.”
Remember, this article just scratched the surface. Click here to watch the recording of the webinar for more information.